HOWARD — The Bulldogs got better even though the scoreboard at Chet Looney Stadium suggested otherwise.
East Knox was shut out for the first time since the final game of the pandemic-altered 2020 season last week, falling to Crestview 35-0.
While he wasn’t thrilled with what he had just witnessed, coach Andy Beatty said things might have been worse if the Bulldogs had opened with Cougars. Crestview is one of the top teams in Region 22 of Division VI and is one of the favorites to win the regional title.
“Crestview is a really good team,” Beatty said. “I told our guys if we had played them in Week 1, they might have hung a hundred on us.
“The growth we had from Week 1 to Weeks 2 was substantial. We still had some mental mistakes, but they were much smaller on the scale. Effort is sometimes a great equalizer but when you are playing a team as good as Crestview is, effort will only carry you so far.”
The schedule doesn’t get any easier for East Knox. The Bulldogs welcome undefeated Colonel Crawford to Chet Looney Stadium on Friday.
Here’s a look at some of the marquee games in Knox County this week:
Colonel Crawford (2-0) at East Knox (1-1): The Eagles roughed up Lakota 42-3, piling up 428 yards and scoring all 42 of their points before halftime. Colonel Crawford quarterback Kamryn Lohr completed 9-of-14 passes for 229 yards and three touchdowns, two to Trevor Vogt. Vogt had three catches for 137 yards with touchdowns grabs of 47 and 48 yards. Matt Clinard led the charge on the ground with 78 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries.
The Bulldogs struggled to get anything going offensively against highly-regarded Crestview in last week’s 35-0 loss. Cole Delaughder rushed for 100 yards on 14 carries, while Carson Steinmetz had five catches for 25 yards. Steinmetz led the way defensively with 10.5 tackles, while Delaughder was in on 5.5 stops.
Danville (2-0) at North Union (2-0): The Blue Devils improved to 2-0 for the first time since 2017 with last week’s 42-0 shellacking of Bucyrus. Max Payne rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries, while dual-threat quarterback Walker Wessecker ran for 73 yards and two scores on 10 carries. Kaiden Colopy returned a punt 80 yards for another score. Ryan Lucas ranks among Knox Morrow Athletic Conference leaders with 17 tackles, including three tackles for loss.
North Union pounded Triad 35-0 last week and has outscored its two opponents this fall by a combined score of 77-6. The Wildcats led 21-0 at the half. Running back Owen Davis piled up 170 yards on just 15 carries, scoring three touchdowns and averaging 11.3 yards per attempt. Aaron Vanderpool added 68 yards on five carries, Trey Bossaller had two catches for 63 yards and a score. Dalton Wilson led the way defensively with 10 tackles.
Delaware Hayes (2-0) at Mount Vernon (1-1): The Pacers are off to their best start since opening the 2018 season with four straight wins. Hayes blanked St. Charles 17-0 last week, but the game was still up in the air heading to the fourth quarter. The Pacers led 3-0 after three before scoring a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns. Quarterback Jake Lowman completed 13-of-24 passes for 149 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown to Austin Koslow. Running back Sawyer Sand added a 4-yard touchdown run to seal it. Josh Russell rushed for a team-best 69 yards on 13 carries.
It was a tough night for the Yellow Jackets in a 35-34 loss to Newark. Jonny Askew did it all for Mount Vernon, rushing for 109 yards on nine carries and hauling in seven catches for 92 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Joel Hubbard completed 16-of-19 passes for 224 yards and three scores.
